[waterboy]

Hi all,

 Ive been keeping an eye on Manda(the pig) and she seems to be loosing a bit of condition and i think its time i weaned the little ones. They have been growing at a fantastic rate and are quite stocky looking.

 I read in one of my many books that i should leave the piglets in their enclosure and move the mother so that they are used to their own area whilst mum is gone, is this right? also how far away should i put Manda is out of sight far enough? I was also thinking should i put her in with a couple of other sows or would she be agitated and aggressive with the separation and better on her own?

Thanks Rob

[robert waddell]

what age are the pigglets
what breed
are you putting the sow back in pig
all are relevant

[waterboy]

Hi Lillian,

 The piglets are 9 weeks old on Thursday, they are a saddleback x but not 100% sure as to what she was crossed with (i bought her in pig, we only started with pigs this year so still learning) and i am planning to let Manda have a season before putting her with a boar (read in a book thats its best for her)  I'm hoping it will give her the time to regain her condition.

Rob

[Hilarysmum]

Every sow is different - Hilary's wean themselves (self preservation) Edwina will keep hers for as long as she is able.  Daisy (dec.) would turn into a bag of bones as the piglets reached 5 weeks, Hilary never loses an inch.    Personally I move the babies in preference to mum, then move mum in with a companion once they have moved.  (Except Hilary who does exactly as she damn well pleases and devil take the hind most).

A lot depends on your situation is it convenient for you to move the babies or mum?  Would mum suit some time alone being built up again, or are you going to put her straight back with the boar, etc. etc.  Sorry not much help.

[Hilarysmum]

Sorry Rob your reply turned up as I was writing this!

[waterboy]

thanks Hilary's mum,

  No worries, it takes me a while I'm not great on computers! She defiantly needs building up and a rest and Ive got her sister she can partner up with again at the far end of the field out of sight of the piglets. I'm just a bit nervous about interfeering with the piggies as I'm not on hand all the time as i don't live next to them in case it doesn't work out

[robert waddell]

your piglets are big enough to be separated (or old enough)
you can keep piglets where they are and separate mother
that is the best time to get your sow back in pig if you let them fatten up they do not realease as many eggs and can run on without getting in pig as to getting them in pig we usually put them to the boar at 120 kilos given that they have another 4 months growing yo do  remember that there is always the chance of the sow flatpacking them and size does matter with this

[skidley]

When my sow had her first litter she only had 5 and reared them all herself to eight weeks and still looked pretty good condition wise, so she came away from her piglets and straight back in with the boar, with her second litter she had 9 and put everything into them and had started to lose condition by the time they were 8 weeks old so I gave her a month off, let her season straight after weaning pass then put her back in with the boar so she had a chance to put on some condition before being mated again. It all depends on your situation and individual litter/pig i take the sow away from the litter, so they are still familiar with their area and already know where their bed and water are. It a hugely stressful time being weaned, when selling weaners I always keep them on until 10 weeks to ensure they are eating their hard feed well before going to new homes.

[oaklandspigs]

  I read in one of my many books that i should leave the piglets in their enclosure and move the mother so that they are used to their own area whilst mum is gone, is this right?

We generally move mum back to the boar (if she is mating immediately) or to the field (if she is having a month off) and at the same time move the weaners to one of our weaner pens, freeing the farrowing shed space for the next incumbant.  We have seen no problems in moving 8 week old piglets to a "new" area - they seem to settle in very quickly, make themselves a new bed, find feed and water and enjoy exploring new environment.

also how far away should i put Manda is out of sight far enough

Some sows are more motherly than others, and frankly some you could put two feet away and they'd be fine, others will call for their young for ages.  Out of sight is the gerneral minimum requirement, if you can get them out of hearing (50 yards!) so much the better, but usually that is not possible.  As long as mum is secure so she cannot get out, you should be ok.

I was also thinking should i put her in with a couple of other sows or would she be agitated and aggressive with the separation and better on her own?

Re-introducing sows back to a group will force the group to re-establish their order of seniority.  If the sow going back is top pig, she will quickly regain her leadership.  If she is bottom pig, she will again get quickly back into place.  However a middle ranking pig will have to confront all the others to work out who is who, so can get quite scratched as their work themselves out.  If she is in poor condition, consider a few days alone to build some strength back up before putting her back.  Key rule to re-introducing adult pigs is to do it in a large pen, where there is “flight” space – a losing pig needs to be able to run about 20 yards away from her aggressor.  If she can do this she will, but if she can’t she’ll will carry on fighting in vain, and can get badly injured.  With space to flight it is rare that injuries occur.

[Tudful Tamworths]

Sound advice. Plenty of space. Feed separately if necessary (coax her out once the others have gone straight for the food). If at all possible, have another ark or some sort of temporary shelter in the enclosure, as the other sows may not let her in the ark the first night and she may end up sleeping rough. They normally cope well, but it's not a nice thing to do to a pig who's just been in the penthouse suite - particularly if the weather is dreadful. After a day or so they get accepted again.